Seaking

Thanks for the feedback, that little square inch of grey on an otherwise clean filter had me wondering..

The lift adapter is essential for this bike IMHO, centre stands work great but can sometimes get in the way for a few tasks. Sounds like the crash bar took a hit and bent a bit.. I have braces on mine that connect to the floor board mounts to stiffen them up a lot. Most likely won't do a thing in a crash but helps a lot with drops and tip overs. I do a lot of advance rider course instructions and ended up dropping my bike often learning the techniques, so that helped a lot. This is a ***** of of bike trying to do steering lock to steering lock slow tight turns with.. I've had to replace my floorboard drag lugs a few times already.. The leveling links do add some height to the rear of the bike height, but with a 28" inseam I don't find this too tall at all. If you're unsure of this additional height, put the rear wheel on top of a 3/4 inch plywood board and see how that fits.. it will give you a rough idea of the change. One thing to remember about the 2nd Gen RSV is that it's not a Goldwing or a 1st Gen RSV, it handles differently, rides differently.. it's a beast of it's own. I've had several Goldwingers who tried my bike out say they appreciated the 'real bike' feel of this big beast.. I don't know if they were being polite but they often ask to take her out for a few runs.. I'd be out riding today if it wasn't frikken SNOWING out again.. geesus.. really?! Suffered enough PMS already (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome)..

Thanks for the info.

I run K&N rechargeable air filters on my 2nd Gen RSV and I clean them out twice a year (end of riding season and again mid way through the next). I've always noticed that the only spot that gets grey or dirty is at the spot where the air enters the filter pod. The rest of the filter is still looking clean and red / pink from the oil, almost like new. It seems at times like perhaps I'm cleaning them out more often than I really need to.. Thoughts on this?

Search for articles for the full story on how to check some of the following.. Steering: check the neck bearings for slop. Hoisted on a stable mount with the front wheel of the ground, you should be able to push / pull on the front wheel and not feel it knock in the neck area. If it does then you need to tighten the head and / or re-grease and re-install. If the bike feels like it's wallowing in a curve, it may well indicate loose neck bearings. Fork pressure: It's a heavy bike.. with OEM springs in the shocks you should have some pressure in there to stiffen it up some. Personally, I have Progressive springs in mine and ride with 5 PSI for a stiffer ride. A stiffer front end gives you better cornering feel and helps reduce nose dive when aggressively braking. The more the nose dives (compressing the forks), the more the bike's weight tranfers off the rear wheel making it more susceptible to losing traction. Lower shrouds attachment points: The bottom is supposed to overlap and held with an attachement screw (plastic). Remove the shrouds and re-attach properly. One side has a guide pin that goes into a grommet on the bike while the other side overlaps the first and held with that plastic screw.. Tire Pressure: The tire pressure listed in the book is for a "typical" ride of 160 lbs. Most gentlemen riders exceeed this "typical" classification so check to see if your tire pressures should be closer to that of 'two up' riding.. 36 PSI front seems low. I run my E3 tires at 38 in the front and 40 in the rear and easily get over 35,000 kms on them. Leveling Links help with slow speed stability. Inexepensive and easy to install, makes a world of difference. Brakes: EBC HH Sintered pads work great on this bike, lasts a lot longer than OEM. I've never had the pleasure of trying out a First Gen Venture but from watching Earl pull away on his, yeah, thems are quicker bikes! The gearing on the stock RSV 2nd Gen leaves a bit to be desired but can be helped with a VMax rear diff. Riding it in the correct RPM range also helps. Higher revs doesn't always mean higher fuel consumption, as the engine is not being as heavily loaded as it is at lower rpms lugging up a hill.. If you ever hit the rev limiter on the 2Nd Gen, it gives you a better appreciation on what it can do. With just over 220,000 kms on mine, I think I have it dialed in to where I like it for another 200K

The description of the problem is not clear.. As posted, it sounds like the clutch is doing what it's supposed to do in order to properly "slip" as you slowly release the clutch lever which allows a smooth transition of the engine power to the drivetrain.. Otherwise it would be a direct 'on / off' clutch system.. You have to 'ride the clutch' from a dead stop to move on.. BUT, if you mean that the bike won't move unless you have to ride the clutch a whole lot before anything happens, but rock solid once you get rolling and shifting through gears, then you have a problem. It might be that you do not have your bail wire installed properly into the grooves or the ends popped out, and its not allowing the clutch to function properly. I had that happen to me early on when I did my first clutch cleanings. The clutch felt weak trying to roll away, almost like it was slipping but then it would grab properly.. The tab end of the bail wire had popped out. Once installed properly, all was good.

Well, after a good run on those tires, it was finally time to change the sneakers for a new pair and finally got to see what the sealant looked like on the inside. Turns out my rear tire actually had a small puncture that I didn't know about and the sealant did it's job. The sealant does goop on the inside of the tire without making a mess at tire change time.. The mechanic who changed my tire gave me a slight groan when I told him to save the tire so I could have a look at the sealant as he was expecting some green slime covering his hands and tools.. Needless to say he was surprised. Currently riding without the Rideon in the tires and you can immediately feel the difference. The sealant is a self balancer as well, and absorbs those small road irregularities thumping against the tires.. I gotta get me some more.. a noticeable difference. A more comfortable ride with the stuff in the tires. I got 38,000 kms out of this set of E3's, still had some tread left compared to the previous set changed. So the cooling effects of the gloop seems to help on tire wear as well. For my Canadian brethren riders, here's a link to a Canuck source, saves on border hassles. http://www.ride-oncanada.com/ what it looks like inside after sitting for 6 hours..

It would be easy to look at the RTV (sealant) on the valve cover gasket to see if they even got that far.. if it looks like new stuff was applied, at least you'd know they went that far.. but if it's the old cracked ugly looking stuff, then questions should be asked.. Still hoping you got a good deal on a professional job done.. "can't even get the seat off in 2.38 hours..." that made my day lol.

So close to the guts of the matter, might as well check them, and gain the experience for the next time.. I had purchased my used 2006 Midnight in 2008 with 20K miles on it, and while visiting in Texas I dropped in to visit Goose who showed me how to do the job properly (thanks!!) Talk about a meticulous mechanical genius.. If I remember correctly, all shims needed changing and what a difference in performance and ride. I think the bike had around 30K miles on it then.. The next time I did the valve clearance check was around the 58K miles mark and only half required changing.. still just within spec but while the guts were open, might as well bring them well inside the specs.. Found the valve stems had a lot of hard carbon built up on them and had those cleaned up.. Did it once again at around 100K miles on the bike and only 3 shims required changing, again just within spec, changed them to be well within spec.. Bike currently has 130K miles on it. One thing I remembered Goose telling me was about the bare knuckle check on the gas tank.. Before the first check, he asked me to press a bare knuckle against the gas tank and feel what the 'buzz' or high frequency vibration felt like.. After the valve shim adjustment, that 'buzz' was gone.. nice. Before each subsequent valve clearance check I'd so the same thing and yes, noticed less of a buzz afterwards. Honestly don't know if this is gospel but based on what I experienced and observed, it works for me..

HA! Thanks for that! I just checked mine and it's still holding great! Still gonna be a while before we're able to ride around here.. another 6 inches of snow today.. this is the latest start to the biking season for me.. the effects of PMS really starting to kick in.. (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome)

This is basically why I do my own valve checks.. I trust my local dealership shop that they won't cheat me, or take short cuts but because there are so few RSV, I feel they may not be up to par on the ins and outs of the info we have gathered here.. (those little angles, best way of doing it, things that make the job easier but proper). I bought my own shim tool which paid for itself with the first job. However, getting a good shop to do the valve clearance check can be expensive in some areas (been quoted as much as $800 CDN) and for the mechanically shy owner, it may be the only way to go.. But ask them to get you the measurements for future reference.. and it hopefully ensures that they actually did do the checks. One local RSV rider reported that he had taken his bike in to an independeant shop for valve clearance checks but discovered they never got to the valves due to the witness markers he placed on various components.. never moved or disturbed. When he asked the independent shop owner about it, they fessed up that they didn't 'actually do the check' but know the valves are in tolerance by other indicators.. (whatever that means).. They settled out of court and he got his checks done at the dealership.. which required new shims.. I just wished I had a bucket load of shims so I can get them all as close to tolerance as possible.. as I'm doing the job.. but around here, it's always 1 to 2 weeks waiting for parts.. On one of the Suzuki boards, they have a "shim club" whereas you use their online calculator to determine what size you require and all you pay is the shipping to get a repacement one as you send in your old one.. I used their services while rebuilding an older Suzuki.. Hmm might be a neat idea for the RSV community if someone was up to the task.. t'was a lot cheaper than waiting for shims to arrive from dealership and you could get the in-between sizes as well if they were on hand.

Good stuff! You should enjoy the sound.. not overly loud, just a tad above the oem pipes but throatier.. especially when you come off the throttle at speed..

To be fair, there is a difference between an estimate and a guestimate of costs..

Because it's such a PITA to replace in it's current location, why not relocate it to the area under the seat. This way there will be no excuse not to change it every season. There is enough existing hose to relocate it, you may have to trim some of it. As long as there are no kinks or pinching on the hose, and that the filter is orientated properly for flow, it's one of those things to do to the bike to save the skin on your knuckles.. the bigger the hands, the harder this job is.. Probably why some RSV owners neglect their filters which can lead to premature fuel pump failure and poor engine performance (I know as previous owner never changed it and it was black as black can be and caused a few problems when I first had the bike..) Its an easy mod to do and well worth the effort.

Were the edges dressed and the parts powder coated? We're talking about the bracket that hangs them at the rear of the bike, right? two pieces of flat stock, 4 to 5 cuts, one drilled hole and a machined slot.. I got mine made a few years ago for $40, with the edges dressed (filed).. If you have the dimensions, they are bone easy to make at home with as little as a hacksaw, drill and files. Making these up are simple enough for a highschool machine / metal working shop class to make, its a shame that a commercial machine shop couldn't figure out the 'estimated' price any better than that on such a simple project..

Is the side stand switch required for the safety inspection in Ontario? Some bikes (H-Ds) don't have that safety feature as stock. It's a good thing to have to protect you from a 'duh moment' if nothing else.. In N.S. we have to have our vehicles safety inspected every two year, I'll have to check if that's also part of our check list of items.

You can also use a spark plug washer as a 'crush washer' instead of the flat aluminum washer. I found that the flat washer sometimes sticks to the 17mm Gold plug while the crush washer doesn't.

So strange, even with a different browser and going to a fresh address (not referal link) I still get the same error.. for their whole site. hmmm [h=1]Our Apologies...[/h] The page you requested could not be found. Please check the web address you entered and try again. In order to figure out what went wrong please email: webmaster@baronscustom.com with the error message below: Forbidden - Error 403

A VMax rear wouldn't be suitable for you in that case.. you'd certainly find the engine winding up too high for what you're used to going at those speeds.. I have to ride close to the speed limit as I work off my driver's license and don't want to risk a speeding ticket so it really does suit my needs as the comfort speed is closer to the 108 kph range for mileage and useability of the engine.. Here in the Maritimes there are more hills and very windy than what I typically find traveling through in Ontario so the VMax pumpkin helps a lot here.. Compared to the OEM diff, I can leave it in 5th over a larger range without having to downshift to climb the hills around here with power.. Some people like it, others don't.. It caters to different riding styles.. For me, it's never been about going fast (speeding) but for the acceleration which I find the VMax diff helps.. You will certainly hit the rev limiter sooner on take off. I find it more fun than the OEM rear diff.

I've had local VMax owners looking to take my OEM pumpkin away from me for their bikes.. If I remember correctly, the VMax rear diff has one less tooth on the gears than the RSV gears, so for the same speed riden, you're turning an additional 500 rpm on the RSV. The way they explain it to me is that with the RSV pumpkin on their VMax, they're dropping their RPMs for any given speed thereby getting better fuel economy and higher top speed. Dunno what it does for their acceleration though.. They feel it makes a VMax a better cruising / touring bike with the RSV pumpkin.. I'm keeping mine in case I sell my RSV and new owner doesn't want the VMAX diff mod..

You are correct that the pumpkin itself has to be modified to accept the RSV speed sensor. But once that's done it's a simple reinstall, just like the OEM one.. nothing else needs changing.. just need to have that sensor modification done to the pumpkin. There's a shop in the USA that will accept your OEM pumpkin and send you a modified VMAx one in exchange. I paid for the modded VMax pumpkin but kept my OEM one to return the bike OEM should I decide to sell the bike later. There's a link somewhere in here where to pick up the VMax pumpkin..

Those links come back as 403 errors (must be all that snow blocking the signal..?!) Here's another link Barons Tachometer Master Cylinder Mount | ZZ56034 | J&P Cycles in case others are also locked out..

I've done the VMax rear swap a few years ago and really enjoy what it offers to the bike on back roads and on the highway. It brings your revs up by 500 rpm higher than the OEM rear, putting your engine in a sweet spot for power. The giddyup and go factor when dropping the hammer from take off is noticeable as well. I found my fuel burn is more consistent across the board as the engine is less likely to bog down doing hills riding in that higher rpm. The bike is more responsive in those higher rpms, yet doesn't seem to burn more fuel. My overall fuel economy has improved with the VMax rear. To get a general feel of what a VMax rear swap would feel like, ride your bike in the 3700 rpm range on the highway in 4th gear.. (or riding at 100-110 kph in 4th gear), this is what the VMax rear feels like doing 110 kph in 5th. I enjoy the VMax rear on highways better than with the OEM rear.. But if you're the type who prefers to do 120-130 kph on the highway, you'll find the engine is turning a tad too high at those speeds with the VMax rear.. On the back roads, riding the bike at the higher revs will give you an idea of what it will feel like; more responsive in turns and hills with a lot less shifting. While an OEM rear bike will cruise comfortably at a higher speed than a VMax rear bike, the latter bike will get up to the speed quicker. Personally, I prefer cruising at the speed limit and the VMax rear allows me to do that with better mileage (yeah even though the engine is turning at higher rpms). I did a lot of trial runs before and after the swap to find out what the VMax rear swap will bring and found that I do prefer the swap even though it brings my comfortable riding highway speeds down some.. I wrote an informal article a while back about my findings that you might find informative.. I do a lot of highway road trips and I found the VMax rear swap suits my needs. Back roads touring is even better.. Overall, I found the swap made the bike more 'fun' to ride than stock.. Almost like it should have come from the factory this way...

I installed the Baron's tach that fits over the front brake reservoir. After so many years, its still functioning perfectly, chrome is top notch. The placement is high and keeps the tach up within eye level as to not take your eyes away from the road. One of the best tach setups I've installed on any of my bikes.

I have my Stebel mounted inside the front fairing and had the same thoughts as well.. until I did sound test. Standing in front and to the sides of the bike with the engine running, there was but only a 2 decibel sound difference with the fairing on or off.